To The Very End
by Lil-Green-Leprechaun
Summary: Erin Fallon - Hufflepuff Chaser, Herbology Tutor, Twin and Best Friend of the mischievous Fred and George Weasley. This is her story. It's about, as Albus Dumbledore says, Love being most important. As she dedicates her life to protect her friends the L word is pushed to the limit. Is there anything that breaks the love of a family of your own choosing? Fred X OC
1. The Leaky Cauldron

**Greetings all you lovely people who are giving this budding start of a story a chance. I've been ill for quite a while, but I finally feel good enough to write something for the first time in about a year. And I know I've still got stories that need finishing, but I wanted to start afresh, with something new. Anyway, after about a 15 year break from being a fan of Harry Potter I decided to go back to the franchise and fell in love with it all over again, so please bare with me while I get back into the swing of writing. Any feed back, comments or reviews would be truly welcome, and I promise things will get more interesting from here on in, I just wanted to introduce you all to Erin and the important people to her. So please, let me know what you think! :)**

 **P.S I don't own any rights to harry potter or any part of the franchise, just my own characters and twist on the story line.**

 **XXXX**

"Again, thank you so much for this Molly, we were beginning to think they'd have to miss the train until we got back."

Harry watched the man who was shaking Mrs Weasley's hand with interest. He wasn't short, but he wasn't tall either. He looked about the same age as Ron's parents, but the odd crinkle surrounded his eyes and his dark hair was beginning to thin at the crown of his head. His soft Irish accent was almost lost in the evening commotion of the busy pub.

"Don't be so silly, David, you know we'll always happily take them. The more the merrier." Mrs Weasley smiled kindly.

"We know you have more pressure on you at the moment, with . . . everything. And you have your own children and Harry to think about."

The man nodded and stuffed his hand into the pocket of his overcoat, pulling out a small pile of galleons. He proceeded to press the gold into Mrs Weasley's palm as she protested, trying to return the coins.

"We don't need that dear. You do enough for us as it is." The man shook his head and pulled away.

"Think of it as expenses Molly. I know my children can run up some rather large bills. Just please take it."

Harry chuckled to himself as Molly opened her mouth to protest again, the Weasley family never had much in the way of money, but they were the most generous people harry had ever had the pleasure of knowing.

"I won't hear of it Molly. Take the money." He checked his watch, an intricate gold and emerald pocket watch that was attached to a chain on his waistcoat. "I really must be going. I have to be at the airport in half an hour."

"For heaven's sake, David, go, you don't want Arthur to hear you talking about muggle transport or you'll definitely miss your flight. Don't worry about everyone. And I'll make sure they owl you as soon as they get settled." Molly Weasley ushered the man towards the door where three figures had just entered. He hugged each one of them and murmured some instructions that harry couldn't hear, even when he strained his ears. With a final nod and a wave to Mr Weasley who returned the gesture eagerly the man left the Leaky Cauldron heading for the busy London streets.

"Come on now dears, let's get you settled." Molly urged the three people forward and harry smiled as they stepped into the light. Harry didn't know them well at all, but he definitely recognised the elder two.

"You didn't tell me the Fallon twins were coming here." Harry whispered, as he dug elbow into Ron's side. Ron who was playing exploding snap with Percy looked up and waved happily at the twins. Erin, the younger of the two grinned and waved back, shaking her long red hair out of a low ponytail.

"Oh yeah, their parents are something big in the department of international affairs. They're needed out of the country, so they're coming with us in the morning." He went quiet for a second as his eyes lingered on the red head as she threw her arm around their younger brother who looked decidedly uncomfortable with the situation.  
"I don't know how, but I think she's got more beautiful over the summer."

Harry laughed as his best friend gawked at the girl, who was being squished in a Fred and George sandwich. Her laugh bounced off the walls and was echoed by her twin brother, Nick. Harry had had plenty of contact with Erin, as she was so close to the Weasley twins, but he had barely spoken a word to the burly Hufflepuff keeper off of the quidditch pitch.

"You'd better watch it. Don't let Nick hear you saying that, he could snap you in half." Ginny laughed as she hopped up from the plush arm chair she had been occupying, "though he probably wouldn't. He's all bark." She crossed the room and hugged each of the twins before linking her arm with their younger brother and leading him off towards a spot beside a book case.

"Still . . ." Ron persisted, ignoring Hermione's annoyed huffing. "We should probably go say hello."

xxxx

"Mikey it's just for one night, and it's not like you don't know anyone, Ginny will be there. You sit with her in astronomy right?" Erin tried to console her younger sibling whose scowl scarily resembled a smacked backside.

"Yeah, I suppose." Mikey huffed, folding his arms.

"Are you going to owl dad, or do I need to when we get there?" Nick asked as he pushed the door to the magical pub open, bathing them in warmth and the delicious smells of butterbeer and fire whiskey.

"I'll do it, Sherlock will need to spread his wings anyway. He's been cooped up for too long." Erin said glancing at her barn owl who was snoozing against the bars of his cage, little snuffly snores ruffled his chest feathers.

Erin felt the familiar sting of years pricking at the back of her eyes as her father enveloped her in a big bear hug, pressing a kiss into the top of her head.

"Behave for me you three. And let me know you're safe as soon as you get there." All three nodded and murmured in acknowledgment, watching their father disappear into the busy London night.

"Come on now dears, let's get you settled." Mrs Weasley bustled over to them, her cheeks flushed and a large, welcoming smile on her face, that Erin instantly returned. She had always felt like Mrs Weasley was a second mother to her, and she greeted her eagerly.

"How was your summer Mrs Weasley? Did you enjoy Egypt?" She asked, accepting the older woman's hug.  
"Dad showed us the article. It's still in the breakfast room somewhere." Nick finished, as he too hugged Mrs Weasley.  
"Oh it was wonderful thank you dears. Very warm."  
"I thought you were looking a bit brown." Erin cast her eyes across the busy pub, scanning the scenery for any familiar faces. Harry Potter sat at one of the long tables, beside the youngest Weasley brother. He elbowed Ron and whispered something that caught Ron's attention. He looked up and waved frantically. Erin chuckled to herself, Ron was always such a sweetheart, he was easily one of her favourite members of the family. She waved back grinning from ear to ear.

She hadn't yet seen the identical red hair of the Weasley twins, and that worried her. Their prolonged absence usually meant they were in the midst of plotting something. And that something was normally a prank, possibly verging on dangerous.

"Hello puffsicle!" Fred yelled as he snuck up behind her, wrapping her into a bone crushing hug, he pinned her arms to her sides.  
"How's our favourite little badger?" George asked as he appeared, hugging her from the front, a grin splitting hid face ear to ear. She laughed, trying to wiggle her way out of the twin sandwich. Nick laughed along and joined in the hug bundle.

"Hi Erin, Nick." Ginny greeted, and Erin managed to wiggle her fingers in an attempted wave, she tried to turn to face the only Weasley girl, who had taken Mikey by the elbow but only received a face full of George's sleeve for her trouble. Mikey looked instantly more relaxed at having someone he knew speak to him.

"Come away George, let the girl breath" scolded Mrs Weasley, dragging her son away by the collar of his over sized, knitted jumper. "Did you hear our news my dears?"

"Ahh yes, Percy is now head boy isn't he? I'm sure he's proud." Erin ignored Fred and George's snorts as they giggled with each other.

"Yes, yes, we are indeed very proud. The second head boy in the family."

"And last." Murmured Fred  
"Well, I don't doubt that. I notice they didn't make you two prefects." Mrs Weasley narrowed her eyes at her middle sons. "But I see you have, Nick. I'm sure your parents are proud."

Nick glowed and nodded modestly. "They are, mum says I take after her."  
"It's a shame you didn't Erin, dear. I'd have thought you'd make a wonderful perfect."

Erin's cheeks coloured and she narrowed her eyes at the twins as they made faces at her. "I'm happy about it actually, I've still got a couple of students that I coach on herbology, and that tends to take up a lot of time time when I'm not in classes."  
Mrs Weasley nodded along.  
"I will never understand why Fred and George don't take a leaf out of your book. Or perhaps just about anything to keep them out of trouble at this point."

"Oh mother why didn't you come up with such an idea before?" Fred started, clapping his hands to his cheeks in mock surprise.  
"There's so much we could teach the little firsties!" George finished, he grinned and rested his elbow on his petite mother's shoulder.

"I'm sure that'd give the new head boy more than even he can handle." Erin grinned as Ron and harry joined the little group.

"We're offended Ronniekins!" Fred cried, clutching his chest.  
"You wound us, baby brother!" George agreed.

Erin rolled her eyes at the twins antics and pulled Ron into a hug. His cheeks quickly turned as red as his hair and he avoided the humoured gazes of his brothers and best friend.  
"Ignore them honey, I'll protect you from the big bullies." She waved harry into the greeting hug.

"I heard what you did to your aunt, harry, you really must teach me how to do that, for when those two get to full of themselves." She nodded towards Fred and George. Harry laughed and pulled away.

"It's great to see you harry, I trust you'll be trying out for the gryffindor quidditch team again this year?" Nick asked, grasping Harry's hand in his, shaking it firmly.

"Of course."  
"Good good, one of the greatest seekers I've ever played . . . don't tell Cedric I said that."

Harry chuckled and nodded accepting the compliment gracefully.

"Well my dears, it's getting late. We'd better start getting your things ready. Dinner should be in about half an hour." Mrs Weasley proclaimed, as she ushered all the children into the main room of the pub.

xxxx

Tom, the Leaky Cauldron's barkeep, had outdone himself, pushing three large tables together to house Weasley family and their companions. Their loud chatter and laughter bounced off the walls as they ploughed their way through five heavily loaded and luscious courses.

"Ugh I think I'm going to be the size of a house if I have one more mouthful of this crumble." Erin said waving her laden spoon around. "But it's just sooo good!" She shoved the spoon into her mouth and her eyes closed in pleasure. She groaned a little out loud, poking her tongue out a little to catch a bead of custard that had tried to escape.

"Want us to give you some space?" Fred asked, as he leaned back in his seat, a hand resting on his full belly.

"Shurrup" she said a few crumbs falling from her mouth onto the table.

"Say it love, don't spray it!" George cackled, exaggeratedly wiping some non existent specks from the shoulder closest to her.

Erin grinned and stuck her middle finger up at him under the table so Mr and Mrs Weasley couldn't see.

"Well, that's rude."

"Dad, how're we getting to king's cross tomorrow?" Fred asked, changing the subject while he helped himself to another dish of chocolate coated poached pears.

"The ministry are sending a couple of cars." Mr Weasley answered, leaning forward so he could see them from the other end of the table.

"Why, father?" Percy asked haughtily, sipping a cup of tea.

"It'll be because of you Perce, and there'll be little flags in the bonnets with 'HB' on them." George started  
"Yeah, for humongous big head!" Fred finished with a gleaming grin.  
Erin's youngest brother Mikey giggled at the banter, and shied away, blushing when Percy scowled at him. Fred and George looked proud of themselves for getting the him to laugh, the most communication he'd had with anyone but his siblings, Ginny and Mrs Weasley all evening.

Percy sneered at his brothers and turned his attention back to his parents, "why are the ministry sending cars father?"  
Arthur cleared his throat and clattered his spoon into his empty bowl. "Well, seeing as we don't have one any more."  
Erin chuckled silently and looked between harry and Ron who has both turned red and tried to shrink into their seats.  
"And as I work there, ... They're doing me a favour" Mr Weasley sounded calm, but the tips of his ears has tinged pink. Erin kicked Fred gently beneath the table and quirked an eyebrow in a silent question, replied with an equally bemused look and a small shrug.

"Good job too, do you realise how much luggage you all have between you? A nice sight you'd be on the muggle underground." Mrs Weasley interjected. "You are all packed aren't you?" Her eyes flit across the faces of all the children at the table.

" _Ron_ hasn't put all his new things in his trunk yet. He's dropped them all on _my_ bed!" Said Percy. He eyed his youngest brother disdainfully. Erin rolled her eyes, Percy had always been a stick in the mud. The minute he got his head boy badge it was like his head had expanded to twice it's regular size. Letters from Fred and George over the summer had outlined a series of pranks to take him down a peg or two, but it seemed their plan had had no effect, except perhaps to make him even more nauseatingly straight laced.

"You'd better go and pack properly Ron, because we won't have much time in the morning." Ron scowled and tried to turn his back to Percy as much as he could without leaving the table.

xxxx

The hours slowly ticked by and everyone sat in comfort in the homely pub's common area, letting their food go down with heavy lidded eyes and sleepy voices. More than once a wave of yawns overtook the whole party.

Erin sat on a couch in front of the wood fire with Fred and George, her legs thrown across their laps. Nick sat beside them in an arm chair, his nose buried in a magazine with the Irish Quidditch team posed on the front cover in a haze of swirling green shamrocks and gold coins. One arm was propped under her head, enabling her to look at the twins while they told her stories about their holiday in Egypt over the summer.

"You should have seen him! Percy was livid!" George started, animatedly waving his hands.

"He came storming out of their room all red faced and blustering, you know the face we mean" Fred continued. Both twins did matching uncanny impressions of their brother, that made both Erin and Nick laugh. "Yelling about how his Head Boy badge had been stolen and how we'd suffer when mum found out!"

"He's a load of hot air really. He found it hanging in the bathroom ten minutes after he told mum, and she forced him to come and apologise to us." George looked immensely proud.

"It was extremely satisfying." Agreed Fred, yawning and letting his head fall back onto the cushioned back of the sofa. "Anything good happen with you this summer?" he asked, tilting his head so he could only see Erin.

"Nothing really. Just the usual gumph. Fudge has been at the house an awful lot though. I actually thought we were going to have to start calling him Uncle Cornelius and including him in our annual floo correspondence at Christmas." she laughed. She yawned and raised her arms up over her head in a long stretch that clicked the tension away from her tired bones.

"I wonder why he was around so much?" George pondered, scrubbing a hand across his tired face.

Erin opened her mouth to say she thought it had something to do with Harry and the search for Sirius Black, but quickly closed it again when she caught Nick's warning glance and nod at Mikey as he made his way over to them. He was twelve and in his second year at Hogwarts, but Erin and Nick had decided to try and keep him as far away from any danger as they could.

"Hey" He yawned tiredly and perched himself on the edge of the seat beside Erin. She wrapped her arm around him as best she could.

"What's up, chicken?" She asked him, giving his shoulders a little, affectionate squeeze.

"I think I'm going to head up to bed, it's nearly midnight."

Erin raised her eyebrows, she hadn't realised how fast the hours had flown by as she indulged in a little quality time with a few of her favourite people. "Alright hun, leave the door unlocked, Nick and I will be up soon." The dark haired boy nodded and waved good night to his siblings, and Fred and George. He climbed the rickety stairway and headed in the direction of the room the three of them would be sharing.

"We should probably head up to bed soon too." Nick said closing his magazine and running a hand through his shaggy curls. He looked about as exhausted as Erin felt. Her tired limbs had taken on a heavy jelly like feeling. She held her arms out for her brother to help her up once he had heaved himself out of the overstuffed chair.

She leaned over the back of the sofa to press a gentle kiss onto the top of each of each of the twin's heads. "Night you two."

"Night lads" Nick echoed as they walked towards the stairs.

"Night!" George called after their retreating backs.

"We'll see you in the morning, bright and early." Fred added as they two got up fro their seats with the intention of heading to their own beds.


	2. Train Rides and Suitcases of Chocolate

**Hello Readers! I'd really like to thank you all for your patience. It's taken me so long to get this chapter out, but I'm afraid I am a busy lady. Anyway I hope you like this next instalment, and I hope I've managed to tap into the twins' more mischievous nature in this one! Thank you all for following etc, and a big thank you shout out to Rara-Binks, who was brave enough to review for me. I am most grateful. Anyway, enough from me, please read, enjoy and review! I like to know what you think.**

XXXXXXXXXX

"Morning Puffsicle" Fred whispered so closely to Erin's face she could feel his hot breath fluttering across her cheeks. A pleasant smell of toothpaste, fire cracker and something distinctly Fred filled her nostrils and she sighed contentedly. "You need to wake up" he touched the arm that she'd slung out of the covers.

She barely even stirred; she was happy where she was half way between reality and the land of not.

"Come on dear. Time to move." George echoed from somewhere near her feet.  
"Mmfine here." Erin mumbled, as much to her pillow as to the other occupants of the room.  
"No," George moved around, the floorboards creaking beneath his feet, "you need to have a shower and Eat breakfast and help us steal Percy's badge before he gets on the train . . ."

He trailed off into silence, stopping beside his brother next to her head. The moment of silence stretched on and Erin felt a bubble of suspicion beginning to swell in her belly. Silence meant they were plotting something.

She cracked an eye open and peered at them incredulously. George had something behind his back.  
"What are you . . ." she started, but was cut off as he dumped a bowl of cold water over her head.  
Her eyes shot wide open, as her body registered the chill sogginess that was now her skin, hair and pyjamas.

The twins cackled happily and high fived each other in celebration of their successful prank.

"You . . . you did not just do that." Erin's tone was tense and hinting at anger, but a smile tugged at the corner of her lips. She pushed the covers away from herself and swung her legs off of the bed.

"Well, I'd say our job is done, wouldn't you Fred?"  
"I do agree dear brother, I think it's time we left Erin to get dressed." They hastily backed out of the room, slamming the door behind them.

Erin eyed Nick, who was fully dressed and stood beside the door with a smirk on his face.  
"You know, you're supposed to be on my side" she reprimanded playfully, grabbing a towel out of her trunk, rubbing her face and hair.  
Nick shrugged, his expression still smug, "eh, it's more fun this way."

XXXXX

"She's hidden her face because of you!"  
"I didn't do anything!"  
"Who else could have spilled tea on her?"  
"I don't know, but it wasn't me, I wouldn't want to go anywhere near a stupid photo of your stupid girlfriend"

Erin grimaced as she walked past Ron and Percy's room, their shouts easily penetrating the walls. She retreated quickly down the stairs as the door knob started to turn.

"How did you sleep dear?" Molly asked  
"Wonderfully, thank you Mrs Weasley." Erin flopped down into a seat beside Ginny and Hermione. The three woman were all a bit pink cheeked and giggly. "What have I missed?"  
"Mum was telling us about a love potion she made when she was at Hogwarts."  
"She took the recipe from a book in the restricted section." Hermione's voice was reverent "a risky move, but it paid off apparently"  
"Until her potions teacher caught her snogging the Ravenclaw quidditch captain behind greenhouse three."  
Erin raised her eyebrows, she had never heard about Mrs Weasley getting up to things she shouldn't have at school, but she had always suspected the woman was capable trouble. The twins had to have gotten their mischievous streak from somewhere.

"Now, now that's enough" Mrs Weasley tsked, but there was an unmistakeable twinkle in her eye as she passed Erin a plate of toast and a jar of blackcurrant jam.  
"Thank you" she buttered herself a slice and slathered it with the sweet purple jam. She was about to put a corner in her mouth when the slice was swiped out of her hand.  
She looked up into the grinning face of Fred. The jam was smeared across his cheeks as he chewed on her breakfast in triumph.  
"Well, that's rude!" She laughed.  
Fred raised his eyebrows in an expression of mock offence, he flattened one hand to his chest. "Me? Rude!" Crumbs tumbled out of his mouth, dropping to the floor and sticking the the colourful wool of his jumper.  
He held out the toast that was now missing a big bite from one side?"  
Erin wrinkled her nose and grinned, holding her hands out in front of her, "I'm fine thanks, I'll just get myself another one."

"How come he gets breakfast made for him and I don't?" George asked indignantly as he slipped into the seat beside Erin, grabbing another piece of toast from her plate. "First come, first served Georgie!" Fred dropped down into the seat opposite them. Erin opened her mouth to reply, but closed it again when the boys looked towards the staircase and started clapping in unison.

Ron was walking down the steps, face red and cheeks puffed out in anger. His hand repeatedly flexed in and out of fists as he muttered to himself.  
"There's the man of the hour!"  
"Always knew you could do it baby brother!"  
"I didn't do it." Ron claimed through gritted teeth. He sat beside Fred and plonked his head down onto the table in frustration. The sound of bone hitting wood made Erin wince a bit.  
"He'll get over it." Harry patted his best friend on the back as he grabbed a plate, sliding one over to nudge at Ron's arm.  
"I didn't do it!" Ron grunted again, breaking pieces of toast into little bits.  
"He'll see her in two hours. He'll have stopped shouting at you by then." Erin said with a kind smile, reaching out to squeeze his restless hand.

XXXXX

"You're all here, that's good. Are all your trunks ready and by the door? The ministry cars will be here in ten minutes." Mrs Weasley bustled around the children, collecting empty plates and cups containing dregs of cold tea and coffee.

Erin who had taken to leaning against George, mid yawn, nodded along with everyone else who grumbled, getting to their feet to swathe themselves in winter coats and scarves. She looked around for her brothers. Finding them crouched together, talking in hushed tones over an article on the front of the daily prophet. Mikey's face was a mask of barely concealed dear as he gestured to the black and white image of a screaming Sirius Black. She made her way over to them and cleared her throat. They stopped talking and looked up at her.  
"You guys ready? Mrs Weasley says the cars will be here in ten." They both nodded and got to their feet, heading to the door.  
"Hey Mikey . . ." Erin called softly to her younger brother. He stopped to wait for his, big green eyes still fearful from the newspaper's image. "Do me a favour . . ." she linked here arm through his elbow. "Don't you worry yourself about Sirius Black. He wouldn't dare step foot in Hogwarts. And even if he could, remember Nick and I will protect you with our lives if it comes to it."  
Mikey rolled his eyes playfully, but squeezed the hand that held his arm. "I know"

The inside of the Hogwarts express was packed with students of all ages and all houses, milling about down the narrow corridor, in and out of compartments greeting their friends after a long summer apart. The air seemed to hum with excitement. Fred, George and Erin made their way down the passage way, occasionally waving hello to the people they knew and trying not to stand on anyone's feet or belongings.  
"We're never going to sit down are we?" Fred whined,  
"Every single compartment is taken! How the hell does that happen?" George's tone was equally as strained as his brother's.  
"We're just going to have to find someone we know and crash in with them. We were a little late to get one to ourselves." Erin, looked into every door seeing a haze of unknown faces. "Lee or Angelina and Alicia must be around here somewhere."  
As if saying his name had made him a blip on their cloudy radar they saw the familiar wild black hair of Lee Jordan in a compartment towards the end of the train. He was laying across the seat, eyes closed and mouth open as he snoozed away.

The twins grinned at each other and Fred dug his hand into his pocket, pulling out a small, round, silver coloured gadget. "Shall we Georgie?"  
"I think we have to Freddie."  
Fred held the gadget out to his twin and George pulled out a tiny pin. He stepped back and covered his mouth with his hand as Fred thew the contraption into the enclosed space with their friend. Erin's eyes widened and she just managed to cover her own mouth when the thing went off. A loud whizz bang went off, a stream of red light and a haze of smoke erupting from the tiny circle of metal. The red spun and crackled eventually forming the shape of an enormous lion. The mouth was right beside Lee's head and he sat up with a girlish yelp and a jolt when it roared realistically right in his ear.  
"You bastards!" He gasped for breath, clutching his heavily beating heart. "  
"Don't you like our newest invention?"  
"We thought it'd be great for quidditch season!"  
Lee scowled at them as they all filed in and plonked themselves onto the plushly stuffed benches.  
"I thought you'd have at least been on my side" Lee nudged Erin with the toe of his trainer as she settled herself opposite him.  
"Don't look at me, I had no idea what they were doing until it was too late." It wasn't technically true, but she did always enjoy the Weasley's pranks.

The long, scenic journey was spent in heated conversation about each of their summers and what they were hoping was going to happen over the next year, while handfuls of sweets and sugary drinks were consumed at an alarming rate.

"So are you going to try out for the team again this year?" Lee asked Erin through a mouthful of half chewed chocolate frog.  
"Of course I am. Hufflepuff wouldn't stand a chance without their best chaser would they?" She joked, picking through a box of every flavour beans for something that looked vaguely appetising.  
"I still think it's cute that you believe you have a chance of winning up against us!" Fred grinned elbowing her playfully in the ribs with a grin plastered across his face.  
She rolled her eyes and threw a foggy green bean (she wasn't sure if it was bogie or pond slime, but she didn't want to try it to find out) at him. He looked at her open mouthed with mock shock as it bounced off of his forehead.  
"You gryffindors always underestimate us badgers. We may not be the most showy of houses, but we have some hidden skill."  
"How hidden exactly?" George asked. A pepper bean was shot his way and hit him in his left eye.  
"Ugh no fair!" He rubbed at his eye. "We were only pulling your leg."  
"Oh, is not that bad, you big baby. Come here." She pulled George closer so she could examine his wounded eye.

That was when the train came to an abrupt halt. Erin and George toppled forward off of their seats, their heads crashing together with a painful thump as they hit the floor. Fred was thrown against the door, and Lee wobbled unsteadily, grabbing the rack above his head. With a shudder and an electrical pop the compartment light blew, throwing them into darkness.

"Ugh. What the? Why have we stopped?" Erin grumbled, pulling herself into her knees and crawling towards the window that had started to frost up, tendrils of ice making their way across the pane rapidly. Fred appeared over her shoulder, features creased with confusion. He ran a finger along the glass, pulling the digit back when it burned cold and turned red.

"Is that?... Is someone coming on board?" George asked as he too squinted out of the window, pointing out a tall, black figure that could only just be made out through the thick layer of ice. His breath came out in a white cloud, warm against the dropped temperature of the cabin.

"Lumos!" Erin murmured, pulling her wand out of her bag and lighting the tip. She shone it on the window, the the burst of light just glared back, hurting their eyes. Her teeth has started to chatter and body began to shiver. She could hear the same noise of jittering teeth from the other three inhabitants.  
"Are you cold?" Fred asked quietly, so close that his breath stirred the hair by her ear.  
She nodded, forgetting he wouldn't be able to make out the motion properly in the darkness but there was a rustling and a low pitched grunt a he tried to wriggle his way out of his thick woollen jumper. A thrum of warmth spread through her body as he managed to break free and wrap the garment around her shoulders. She sniffed subtly at the collar. Toothpaste, liquorice and the slightest hint of gunpowder filled her nose.  
"Fred, you'll get cold!" She murmured, ready to hand the sweater back to him when George wound his scarf around the lower half of her face, silencing her.  
"We're big, strong men. We can't have a lady getting cold." George's scent was almost identical to his brother's except the metallic tang of liquorice was replaced with the heady, thick smell of toffee.  
She sighed and continued to watch out of the window. She had learnt years before that arguing with the twins when they had made up their minds was futile.

The darkness and the hollow cold seemed to stretch on and on, feelings of hope and happiness being drained from the compartment's inhabitants. Erin had found her way back onto the bench and had curled up on the seat with her feet tucked beneath her and her head resting in the crook of Fred's shoulder. He was holding her hand, frigid fingers clenching her skin with enough to reassure but not enough to hurt. Erin sighed breaking the group's silence.  
"I hope Mikey and Nick are OK." She sounded forlorn and Fred tilted his head so he was facing her, nose to nose. She cast her eyes downward away from his probing hazel ones.  
"Hey, look at me, little badger." He mumbled gently. She smiled weakly at the nickname and looked at him as he squeezed her hand. "They're fine. We're all going to be just fine. Trust me." He let his thumb glide softly over her palm. "When have I not given you reason to trust me?"  
Erin giggled and grinned wickedly "would you like a list?"

With a sputter the lanterns above their heads crackled into life, bathing the carriage in a warm yellow. They squinted against the sudden influx of light. Erin inhaled sharply, taking in pale face. His nose was tipped with pink and the flesh around his lips had started to turn blue in the icy temperature. "Fred, look at you, you're freezing! I told you I would be OK."  
He looked sheepish and took his hands back from her, rubbing them together and breathing on the tips of his fingers.  
"I thought blue might be a good look on me."  
"Oh shut up." She tugged his jumper from her shoulders and dumped it unceremoniously into his lap. "Put that back on please, before you turn into a snowman."

"The heats back on, so he'd be a drippy snowman." George said loudly, as if announcing is presence in the little room.  
Erin rolled her eyes and threw his scarf at him playfully.

"What do you think that was?" Lee asked, he still looked unnerved, picking at a stray thread on his sleeve.  
Fred and George looked at each other, as if discussing their thoughts telepathically, something Erin was sure they could actually do.  
"Not sure . . ."  
"But if it's what I think it is . . ."  
"It could be bad . . ."  
"Really, really bad."  
Erin's felt her cheeks and throat heat up with worry as she tried to swallow what felt like a lump of paranoia. If there was one thing she had learnt in care of magical creatures, it was that the wizarding world was made up of some terrifying and oftentimes deadly creatures. Her parents worked for the ministry, and had no qualms about keeping their eldest children informed about dangers they might encounter out in the magical world. She fidgeted uncomfortably.

With a slam and a rattle of glass the compartment door slid open and a man stood in the doorway. His hair was mousey and his robes had seen better days, and his face was a mask of concern.  
"Is everyone in here alright?"  
The four friends nodded wearily.  
"Good. Eat some of this, all of you. And stay in here. Don't move, it's the safest option Ron" He handed them a small slab of chocolate and whirled his way back into the corridor without another word, closing the door behind him.  
They pondered the treat for a second before George shrugged and broke the bar into 4 pieces, handing it around.  
Erin nibbled at the chocolate enjoying the warmth that flushed through her body right to her toes.  
Fred was turning is piece over and over in his fingers, staring at it with a calculating look in his eye.  
"What?" Lee asked, a string of chocolatey saliva threatening to escape his mouth.  
"Do you think he's giving chocolate out to everyone on the train?"  
Erin shrugged, that would be a lot of chocolate. "Who carries enough chocolate to feed an entire school?"  
George shrugged and slumped back into his seat, "I would if I could . . ." he said through a full mouth.  
"One day we might, if we can sneak a suitcase into the honeydukes passage." Fred nodded, waving his hands around enthusiastically.  
"He wouldn't just pop into random carriages and offer out treats though." Lee reasoned with Erin.

XXXXX

The Hogwarts express pulled into Hogsmede station and all the students offloaded, a haze of black, blue, red, yellow and green all mingling together. The tiny, frightened looking first years toddled off after the enormous figure of Hagrid, towards the lake and the awaiting boats.

Erin looked around for her brothers, standing on her tip toes trying to find them through the crowd. She grumbled. It was so hard to pin point anyone through the mass of black robes.

Fred glanced down at her and noticed he chewing on her bottom lip as she searched. Standing at least a head taller than her, and most of the school, he narrowed his eyes searching for Nick's bulk and yellow lined hood.  
He spotted him, leaning against a far wall, talking with Mikey who was rolling his eyes and trying to escape with his little group of friends who were laughing at the overbearing sibling's display.

"Oi Nick!" He shouted, raising a hand to wave him over.  
"Thanks Freddie." Erin smiled and pulled him into a one armed hug. "We better part ways here. We'll see you after the feast."  
He nodded and returned the hug, watching as the two Hufflepuffs made their way through the crowd to their quidditch captain, Cedric Diggory, who had begun to gather the team around him, ushering them all into a thestral drawn carriage.


	3. Feels like being home again

**Hello All, I'd once again like to thank you all for all the support you've given me by favouriting, following and of course a big thank you to Hummelberry94 for reviewing. I promise you all, I won't bite if you review! I like to hear your thoughts. This third chapter marks the end of what I class as introductory chapters, now into the bulk of the story. I was wondering whether to turn this into a series and have one story for each year or keep it amalgamated as one loooong story. Let me know what you all think I should do! I've started working on the next one, so it shouldn't be too long of a wait.**

xxxx

Erin stared out of the window as the carriage made its way up the rickety drive to Hogwarts, watching the matching dashes of red hair as they disappeared into their own carriage, only half listening to Cedric's new tactic plans that he had developed over the summer.  
Nick nudged her in the side, a concerned look on his face, "you alright? You look mighty pale."

She wrapped her hand around his larger one, squeezing affectionately. "I'm alright, I was worried about you two though."  
"Ah, we were alright. Mikey was in the next compartment and stumbled in when it went dark. He grazed his knee, but no lasting damage."  
Erin nodded and looked back out the window, watching the castle as they grew closer to it. Yellow light leaked from the tall windows and bathed the grounds in a familiar warmth.

"Did you hear about Harry Potter?" Lilly Merchant, a rather mousey 4th year who had joined the team's chasers last year asked, leaning forward with a hushed voice and wide eyes. "They were sharing a compartment with that new teacher, him and his friends, and that thing . . . that dementor came right in and tried to touch him. He passed out the little love."

"Is he alright?" Erin asked, concerned, Harry Potter had always been nice to her, besides he was best friends with Ron.

"Apparently, he wasn't out long. And that new professor chased the thing away with a silver blast from his wand, shouting that none of them were hiding Sirius Black."

Erin and Nick exchanged a glance. "Dad will want to know."  
"Mm we'll get an owl out to him after the feast."

xxxx

Erin sat at the long, yellow draped Hufflepuff table. She was squashed between Nick and Cedric Diggory, their two larger bodies disrupting her view of the main platform and head table where Dumbledore waited patiently, a smile on his face and hands crossed on the phoenix fronted podium. She waved at Macartney Reyer as he nodded at her from a bit further up the table. His long blond curls peeked out from under his hat and his deep dimples caught the attention of many of the younger girls at all of the four tables. Erin fought a blush as she looked back at her plate, she'd always had a bit of a crush on Mac, although she had convinced herself that he would never see her as anything more than his 'cheeky lil' buddy'.

A nervous gathering of first years stood at the front of v the hall, fidgeting and looking around at the older years and the house banners in awe. Professor McGonagall was missing from her usual place, rounding them up and keeping them regimented like a strict, Scottish mother hen. One by one they were sorted into houses by professor Flitwick and the hat. Each table erupted into cheers as a new member joined them.

Professor McGonagall came hurrying through the doors moments later, envoking a hush around the whole hall as students craned their necks to see the two pupils who followed after her. They kept their heads down, but Erin would have recognised the mop of black hair and the out of control brown curls anywhere.

"It's harry and Hermione" she whispered to Nick, modding discreetly at them at they squeezed themselves onto the benches of the gryffindor table. Ron patted his best friend on the back and leant in to murmur something in his ear.

Further down the table Erin could see the Weasley twins sat with Lee, Katie Bell and Alecia Spinett. They were laughing and making big gestures with their hands that earned a frown and a reprimand from Percy. She rolled her eyes, Percy really needed to lighten up, if he kept being so straight laced he'd explode. And Erin was sure it'd be hell when he did.

With a clearing of his throat professor Dumbledore silenced all the whispered chatter that had started with Harry's late appearance. He beamed around at his charges, blue eyes twinkling behind his half moon glasses.  
"Welcome!" He greeted, voice booming around the great hall "welcome to another year at Hogwarts. I have a few things to say to you all. And as one of them is very serious, I think it is best to get it out of the way before you become befuddled by our excellent feast."

The whole school waited with held breaths as he paused, glancing around the students, seemingly holding eye contact for a split second with each one.

"As you will all be aware, after their search of the Hogwarts express, our school is presently playing host to some of the dementors of Azkaban, who are here on ministry of magic business."

A flurry of whispers flooded the hall, but were silenced when Dumbledore raised one bony hand, asking for silence.

"They are stationed at every entrance, and while they are with us I must make it plain that nobody is to leave the school without permission. Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks or disguises"

Erin felt her cheeks pink a little as the old man flit a meaningful glance between her and the Weasley twins. He smiled good naturedly.

"Or even invisibility cloaks" he looked subtly at a particular spot on the gryffindor table. Erin giggled internally, the twins and Ron had told her about Harry's invisibility cloak last year, after she caught Fred and George hiding her things around the school as a prank after borrowing Harry's cloak. Whether they'd had Harry's permission to use the cloak of not, she was still unsure.

"It is not in the nature of a dementor to understand pleading or excuses, I therefore warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. I look to the prefects, and our new head boy and girl"

Percy's chest puffed out so far with pride Erin thought she could hear the buttons of his shirt straining at the sudden expansion.

"To make sure that no student runs fowl of the dementors. On a happier note; I am pleased to welcome 2 new teachers to our ranks this year. Firstly, professor Lupin, who had kindly consented to fill the post of defence against the dark arts teacher."

A few people clapped for Lupin as he stood from his chair and nodded genially. He looked shabby and exhausted against the rest of the well dressed teachers. Harry, Ron and Hermione cheered and clapped the hardest.

"As to our second new appointment, well, I am sorry to tell you that professor Kettleburn, our care of magical creatures teacher retired at the end of last year, in order to spend more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am delighted to say that his place will be filled by none other than Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to take on this teaching job in addition to his game keeping duties."

Ever table but the one robed in green and silver erupted with cheers. There were loud scrapes as benches were pushed back and students got to their feet, applauding enthusiastically. Hagrid was grinning and turned tomato red, looking down at his hands modestly.

"Well," Dumbledore started again as the room regained it's quietness, "I think that's everything of importance. Let the feast begin!"

As if activated by the headmaster's words the large platters and jugs all along the table magically filled with food and drink. Huge, delicious looking joints of lamb and beef surrounded by a multitude of vegetables, golden topped pastry pies, piles of chocolate topped profiteroles and steaming dishes of apple crumble appeared, and Erin felt her stomach start to growl as she inhaled the tantalising mix of smells.

"Everyone tuck in!"

Erin grinned and grabbed the nearest spoon, placing a few roast potatoes on her plate, but her eyes were glued to the apple crumble in front of her, still covered by glass cloches. She rolled her eyes in pleasure in her first bite, realising how hungry she was and how good the food produced by the kitchen's house elves were.

Something wet and squishy hit her back, wetting the fabric of her house robes. Turning around she caught her brother's smirk and the glanced down at the piece of carrot that had now splattered across the great hall's stonework.  
The Weasley twins looked back at her when she eyed the Gryffindor table, their faces almost splitting with wide, happy grins.

"Isn't it good to be back?" Nick chuckled, shovelling a spoonful of mash into his mouth.  
"It really is." She agreed, swiping the rapidly cooling carrot from her back and delving back into her own plate, eager for dessert.

xxxx

"Uggghh" Erin groaned as she flopped onto her bed, uncaring that her feet were tangling in the yellow velvet drapes. The waistband of her skirt was feeling tight and she'd only been back in the castle for four and a half hours.

"Nnnggh" Mollie groaned as she lay like a starfish across her own bed next door. Her cloud of blond hair hid her face that had pinked from the excitement of arriving back in their term time home. "I need to be in my pyjamas. Right now" she laughed trying to nudge her trunk open with a foot.

"Sod the jammies, I'm ready for a nap right now." Erin yawned, scrunching her pillow up under her head and closing her eyes, but her room mate was having none of it.

"So tell me all about your summer? And don't leave out any good details!"

"Nothing juicy happened, sorry chick." Erin apologised looking at Mollie who had rolled onto her belly and was staring at Erin through heavy lidded blue eyes.  
"Nothing? Something must have happened?"  
"Nope, all the regular shit, quidditch practice, Ice cream in the park, shopping at temple bar - dad did nearly kill me when I spent €90 on a pair of shoes though, visited a few friends. That's it really."  
"I hear you got to the station with the Weasleys."  
Mollie did love to gossip, even if her gossip was unfounded.

"Yeah, my parents are away on ministry business, Mr and Mrs Weasley were nice enough to take the three of us with them, as they had Harry and Hermione too."

"Fred and George have grown up quite a bit this summer, they've fitted into their looks, haven't they? I bet they're going to have a ton of girls chasing them this year."

Erin moved her shoulders in a non committal motion. She agreed, they had filled out, but she'd always thought they were handsome boys. Not that she'd let Mollie know that.  
"I hadn't really noticed, I know they've let their hair grow out, but they still look the same to me."

"Really?" Mollie sat up straight and swung her legs into the space between their beds. "You three are basically joined at the hip, you're honestly going to be OK when girls start to swarm them and you have to take a step back?"

"If it happens, it happens. I'm not the kind of person to make a fuss if they got girlfriends."

Mollie chewed her lip for a minute, nodding thoughtfully. "I still don't know how you instantly tell them apart. It's been 5 years and I still only know which is which when they make it obvious."

"See there's your problem, you see them as identical. You need to notice the things that make them different. Fred's left eye has more green than his right and George's voice is slightly deeper. I guess I'm just used to them."

"Uh-huh" Mollie was one of those people who was convinced there was something sordid going on between Erin and one, or both, of the twins, but refused to admit it.  
"I saw Mac looking at you earlier. He's so dreamy. Next year is going to be so dull without him."

"He's a nice guy." Erin agreed, eyes flitting to the long, thin window. A tapping was echoing from the glass and Sherlock, her barn owl, was looking back at her. He was clutching a roll of parchment in one foot, the other knocking persistently against the pane.

She got up and let the bird in. He did a circling lap of the room before landing gracefully on the foot-board of her bed. He held his occupied leg out to her. She took the roll of parchment and sat on her bed to read it, but stopped immediately. Sherlock had let out a loud indignant shriek, as if screaming at her that he didn't do errands for fun and a payment of treats was expected.

"Alright, alright. You'll wake the whole of the castle if you carry on like that." She smoothed a finger down his golden feathers, and dug through her bag, pulling out a full pouch if owl treats. He chirped excitedly and she looked at him sternly.  
"You're having 5 Sherlock. Do you remember what we were told? Only 5 or you'll get fat and your feathers will start to malt. You don't want that do you?"  
He looked at her indignantly with his large black eyes and turned away with a ruffle.  
"Come on don't be like that."  
He still ignored her.  
"Fine!" She crumbled, picking an extra treat out of the bag and holding out her hand.  
He slowly turned around, eyeing her angrily, but taking her offering.  
"You are probably the most spoiled owl here. Do you know that?" She scolded playfully as she unravelled the paper.

She grinned, reading Fred's messy handwriting  
 _"Little Puff, first night back sweet feast? Meet us by the Honeydukes tunnel at 11 30. :)"_

She glanced at the muggle alarm clock the house elves had thoughtfully placed on the shelves beside her bed. The hands read 10 55. Plenty of time to change and sneak up to the passage.

She let Sherlock back out the window, and started gathering a comfy pair of jeans and a plain black top out of her trunk. Mollie, who had enclosed herself in her bed to get changed into her nightwear drew back the curtain and laughed when Erin looked at her sheepishly.

"If anyone asks, I'll tell them you were in your bed all night. Just don't get caught. I'm not sure even Nick's new position would get you out of detention this time."


	4. Too Much Troll Toe

**Hello Lovely Readers! A nice new installment, but I'm not sure if I'm actually happy with it, as I managed to write the majority of it under the influence of General Anaesthetic. So please let me know what you think?**

 **xxxx**

"Morning all!" Erin chirped happily sitting down at one of the tables in the great hall for breakfast. She pulled a box of cereal towards her and reached for the jug of milk. Fred and George murmured hellos through mouthfuls of bacon and the golden trio all nodded to her. Harry and Ron were too busy eating to pay much attention and Hermione was fiddling with something below the neckline of her shirt.

"New time tables. We've got transfiguration first off." George pushed hers across to her, the scroll tied with a yellow and black woven cord.  
"Ugh, just want I want on a Monday morning. Two hours of McGonagall. She's great, but a bit much so early."

"We've got our first divination class." Ron said cheerily, spearing a sausage and eyeing it.  
"Oh that's . . . going to be an experience for you." She said smirking, as she glanced at the twins who were grinning at their younger brother.  
"With crazy old Trelawney."

Burst of cackling giggles flooded from the next table. They all turned to see the white blond head of Draco Malfoy, surrounded by his Slytherin cronies. He was doing a crude impersonation of harry passing out after the dementor attack on the train. Pansy Parkinson was practically jumping up and down in her seat, fingers playing with the hem of Malfoy's sleeve.

Harry scowled and looked down at his plate.  
"Don't you worry about him Harry, he's full of hot air."  
"Yeah, he was down our end of the train." George said, eyeing the Slytherin clan.  
"He came past our carriage on the way out, looked like he was about to hurl everywhere. All white and grey around the eyes." Fred agreed, stretching lazily like a enormous ginger cat.  
Obviously overhearing them, Draco doubled his efforts and Pansy almost fell off the bench laughing so hard.

Erin shook her head and made a face. The cackling was giving her a headache and she hadn't even started classes yet. "Pipe down would ya, Parkinson? I'm sure your relatives in Azkaban can hear you. My poor ears can't take it." She commanded, shoving her spoon in their direction with a scowl on her face.

"Oo I think someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed" Fred cooed in her ear playfully, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and squeezing affectionately.  
"Not true." She said defiantly, pushing her empty bowl away from her. "I had an awesome morning, until the harpies descended."

"Would you really describe Malfoy as a harpy?" George asked thoughtfully. He tapped his fingers against the table top and pulled a face of exaggerated concentration. "I'd say more of a Burbak, with those hollow cheeks and bony twig arms."  
"I completely agree with you brother, and that baby like cry. It's uncanny?"

"What about about Crabbe and Goyle?" Ron chimed in.

"Need you even ask?" Erin laughed.  
"Gargoyles of course." The twins said in unison.  
"They'd be more attractive if they'd have been made of stone though, mind." Fred said with a grin, stuffing the last corner of his toast into his mouth.

"Anyway, don't you worry Harry, first game of the season will be coming up faster than you know it."  
"Gryffindor vs Slytherin. You'll smash him, and then the little toad won't know where to put his face."

Harry nodded in agreement, clearly feeling much happier with the prospect of being able to teach Malfoy a well deserved lesson on the pitch.

"We'd better get going. Trelawney's classroom is in the north tower, right across the castle." Ron huffed, pointing to their time tables. He stood up and Harry followed suit, grumbling slightly. "See you three later, try not to get expelled!"

"I suppose we'd better get going too. Wouldn't want to be late for our first class with McGonagall." Erin swept her bag of books of the floor and hoisted it over her shoulder.

"Mm" agreed George. "Wouldn't want to get on her bad side so early in the term."  
"She might try to split the three of us up again, for causing too much 'trouble'."  
"I think she learnt last year, that even if she sat us on 3 different balconies around the school, you two would still find some way to cause mischief that would somehow manage to involve me!"  
She walked slightly ahead of the twins, the hint of a smile on her face. Fred tugged on her robes to slow her down a bit, until she could feel her back brushing his shoulder and chest.  
"And I suppose you're perfectly innocent, are you, Miss Fallon?" He practically growled in her ear.

She felt the burn of a blush trying to fight it's way onto her cheeks, and she darted a quick look at George from the corner of her eye, he was apparently oblivious to his twin's suddenly changed demeanour.

She cleared her throat and tried to sound cool and collected as she replied. "Did I ever say I was."  
Fred gave a throaty laugh and dropped his grip on her robes.

What on earth had come over Fred this year? He'd always been bold and flirtatious with the quidditch fan girls or their classmates, but never with her. Her brain whirled with questions and her a few butterflies beat their wings against the lining of her belly.

"After you, my lady" he said with a wink, holding the classroom for open for her as they entered McGonagall's transfiguration classroom.

 **xxx**

"You know I never question your motives for anything, Freddie, but, what in Merlin's ancient underpants are you trying to do with Erin?" George asked, his voice kept as hush as possible as they dug through the cupboard at the back of the classroom, trying to find the box of conch shells McGonagall had ordered them to find for the class's practical task. He hoped the nattering of the students would drown out the private conversation.

"I have no idea what you're talking about Georgie."

"Don't you give me that crap. I'd know you inside out, upside down and if a giant mauled your face. There's no hiding from me, so come on, what are you doing?"

"She's always been beautiful, and kind, and wonderful."  
"Yes . . . so why the sudden interest now?"  
"She's changed a bit over the summer hasn't she."  
"So now you thought, hmm here's that girl who has been under my nose for 5 years . . . now I'll do something about that girl I've been harbouring secret feelings for, as she's changed a little bit and I'd beginning to turn more heads than she did before."  
Fred opened his mouth to protest, cheeks going red from being confronted by his brother.  
"Don't look at me like that Freddie, of course I bloody know. We spend every waking minute together, I know when you feel something."

"Are you two quite finished? I would like to get along with the session when you're quite ready Weasleys." McGonagall's curt Scottish accent cut sharply through the noise.  
"Yes professor" George said, grabbing the box that had been tucked by his right hand the whole time.

"You slimy . . ." Fred started to hiss but George shot him a look.  
"We are not done talking about this brother, just so you know." George muttered quietly as he strode past his twin to deposit the box on the main desk.

 **xxx**

"It wouldn't have bitten the bloody idiot if he'd have listened to Hagrid in the first place." Ron shouted, frustration showing on his scrunched up face.  
"And you just know he's going to milk it." Harry agreed. They sat on the grand staircase with Erin and the twins, explaining about Malfoy's' little mishap in care of magical creatures that morning.  
"Is Hagrid OK? He'll take it really hard." Erin asked picking at a loose piece of thread on the hem of her skirt.  
"We're going to go down and see him after dinner." Hermione appeared in the bottom step as if out of nowhere. Pieces of her hair were coming out of her ponytail and her normally immaculate robes were askew.

"Where have you been Hermione?" Ron eyed her dubiously. "Oh . . . um the library." She tried to smooth her hair and look nonchalant.

"Right . . . well we better go in to eat, are you coming to help us with the thing in dungeon 4 tonight?" Fred asked Erin as they all stood to make their way into the great hall.  
She rolled her eyes and tapped his shoulder gently.  
"Of course, wouldn't miss it for the world." She waved to the small clam of gryffindors as she broke away heading for the yellow dotted Hufflepuff table. Her brother Mikey waved at her happily from the Ravenclaw table as she sat down.

 **xxx**

The Weasley twins worked hard to make dungeon 4 their temporary lab for the night, three cauldrons set over unlit fires, tubes and jars of ingredients with their labels pointing outwards. They always made sure the lights were dim and the map was between them, just incase they needed to vanish quickly, if Filch was passing by.  
"Lee is just in the kitchen getting snacks and . . . it looks like Erin is just leaving her common room." George said, prodding at each name as they inched their way across the page.

"So, what was that, back in McGonagall's class?" Fred asked, folding his arms and staying pointedly at his twin.  
"You know exactly what that was. We've known Erin a long time, I don't want to see either of you get hurt. So you need to decide now what you want Fred. Playing with her affections will only end in tears and a ruined friendship."  
George patted him gently on his arm. "I'll support you either way, because you're like the other half of me, but I need you to remember to use your head in this."

Fred paused, his jaw tightening, it was rare to feel tension with George. He flexed his fingers unconsciously.  
"How long have you known?"  
George raised his eyebrows, arranging a few more bottles on the long tables.  
"When did you know?"  
Fred felt his belly turn as he thought the question over. He wasn't exactly sure, when his attitudes and feelings had changed.  
"I . . . I don't know."  
George chuckled, "don't strain yourself, mate. Just try not to be a twat, eh?"  
Fred smiled sheepishly. "I'll try."  
"You gonna tell her?"  
"I don't know, I don't think she'll feel the same, or take it seriously."  
"You can only try mate, but again, just be careful."

A quick triple knock sounded on the dungeon door and echoed around the almost empty classroom, and Lee stuck his head around the door,  
"We bring snacks and company for the lonely inventors!"  
"Wehey!" The boys cheered, pulling platters of little triangle sandwiches, and cakes from their hands.

"So, what are we doing tonight?" Erin asked as she swished past Fred, grabbing a French fancy and nibbling on it. She hopped up onto the table, and crossed her legs, trying not to snag her pyjamas bottoms on the chipped surface.

"Thought we'd do some more work on our roaring lion exploder, it's not giving enough pizzazz." George said tipping some red powder into each of the cauldrons while Fred lit the fires beneath them.

"So what else do we need?" She asked looking at each of the bottles the boys had lined up.

 **xxx**

Time sped by in a flash of coloured lights, red smoke and muffled roars. The ornate hands of of the clock ticked round and chimed two AM. As if on queue Lee yawned and dropped his head onto the table with a loud thunk.

"It's getting late. Have you got any further with it?" Erin asked, she was curled up in a chair with her cheek resting on her hand.

"I think we're getting there. We've got a couple more weeks until the first quidditch game, so we should be able to fix any niggling problems before then." George said, cleaning out the two empty cauldrons.

"We'll do this one and then head up to bed." Fred confirmed, sprinkling a dash of fire salt into the remaining Cauldron.  
"Be careful, wouldn't want you to singe your hair and eyebrows off with that stuff." Erin said nodding to the jar of glowing embers.

"Ahh I'd still be the man of your dreams though eh? Come on, admit it." Fred flirted and waggled his eyebrows suggestively with wide grin.  
"You're incorrigible, Fred Weasley." She laughed, throwing a balled up cupcake case at his face.  
"I don't know how you put up with him all the time, Georgie!"  
"Because he couldn't function without me, could you brother?"

George rolled his eyes and dried his has hands on a cloth beside the sink. Lee started to snore.  
"I think it's past someone's bed time."

Fred nodded, eyeing their friend with a mischievous grin,  
"Only a few more bits and we can get him up to bed." He shook the tall, thin vial labeled 'troll toe' into the Cauldron without looking. The vast majority of the reddish brown powder slid into the bowl.

"Fred!" George scolded, leaping across the room and ripping the glass jar from his twin's fingers. "Watch what you're doing! It's 2 pinches of troll toe, not a whole bloody vial." He sounded frantic and tried to pull his brother away as he bent over the bubbling concoction.

The bright red liquid started to spit and crackle menacingly, little splashes escaping the rim and landing on the surrounding surfaces.  
"That really doesn't sound good . . ." Erin said getting up from her seat and backing away from the raging mixture.

"Oh it's fine, stop fussing." He pulled himself away from George and looked into the Cauldron, gesturing to the bubbles that were starting to die down. "See, it just needed a bit of time, maybe more is what we're looking . . ." but he never managed to finish his sentence. The Cauldron, the potion inside it and Fred's body went flying through the air.

Erin screeched and ran forward, kicking the now dented pot away from Fred. He was half slouched against the wall and half laying on the floor, the right side of his face marred by a nasty cut stretching from above his eyebrow right down to the corner of his mouth. His eyes were continually flickering open and shut.

George knelt down by his other side and pulled off his knitted jumper, pressing it the gash, the blood didn't stop, it just changed the color of the fabric from blue to an inky purple.

"What the hell do you think you were doing?" He scolded his brother angrily. "You always think you have to be right, don't you " he looked at Erin, who was holding Fred's wrist and counting the beats of his pulse. They were slow, but it was definitely still there.

"What are we going to do? We can't take him to madame Pomfrey. We've only been back two days, she'll have us up in front of McGonagall as soon as the sun comes up."

"He'll bleed out if he stays here. I'm shite with healing magic. Can you try that spell Charlie taught you last summer after that quidditch match?"

George scrunched his face up and pulled his jumper away from the wound. Thick blood bubbled up through the incision and dribbled down the contours of Fred's nose. He pointed his wand at Fred's face, his hands shaking with nerves and whispered the words of spell. The flesh around the cut seemed to knit together for a couple of seconds before splitting back open with a fresh wave of blood.

Fred was getting steadily paler and paler.

"We'll have to take him to pomfrey. I can't do it!" George said frustratedly, through gritted teeth, pressing the ruined garment back onto the wound.

Erin thought for a moment, chewing on her bottom lip. "No, I have an idea . . . do you think you might be able to carry him?"

George looked at her confused.

"Not all the way to the astronomy tower or anything, but I might be able to make it to the hospital wing."

"How about the kitchens? Or my common room?"

"It's not that far, I can give it a go."

With a snort Lee woke up, a piece of paper sticking to his drool stained chin. "What's going on? What did I . . . oh dear." He trailed off catching Fred's prone body in his eyeline and the blood covering both Erin and George's forearms.

"Too much troll toe." George grunted as he looped an arm under Fred's back and hauled him up.

"Merlin's beard … is he ok?"

"He will be, we need to get him to the Hufflepuff common room."

"Lee can you clean up here?" George asked as they stumbled to the door, hunched under Fred's weight.

"Sure, leave it to me. Just get him some help."


	5. He's still an asshole

**Hello wonderful readers, thank you for your patience in waiting for this chapter. I've started to up the tension, so fingers crossed it was worth the wait. And a big thank you to ClearasDarkness, I'm glad you enjoyed it. That was one of my favourite lines too. :)! please let me know what you think, I like to hear from you all!**

XXXX

"C'Mon mate, just a little bit further." George murmured in Fred's ear as he dragged his barely conscious body down the dark corridor. Slight splashes of blood dripped onto the paving, glowing red in the light emitting from the tip of Erin's wand.

"Filch is two floors above." She said as she bounced around the twins, checking around corners until the kitchens and the barrels that concealed the Hufflepuff common room came into sight.

Fred was groaning and breathing heavily with every laboured step the two of them took.

Erin's heart hammered in her chest. The three of them had managed to land themselves in some pretty sticky situations over the years, but the churning butterflies of unknowing still ground away in her belly. They seemed to get louder with every pained grunt Fred made.

"We're nearly there Freddie, don't you give up on me now." George commanded, his tone anxious. Fred was quickly sliding in and out of consciousness, his weight bearing down more and more on his twin's shoulders.

"Do you need me to help?" Erin asked, returning to the Weasley twins' sides, her hand catching Fred's limp one in her own and giving it a reassuring squeeze. She needed him to be OK, wanted him to straighten up, shake the blood off and explain to her with a enormous grin what an amazing prank it was and that he wished she'd seen her face, but he just gurgled with pain, eyes fluttering between open and closed.

"No" George puffed out. His face had flushed a deep pink with exertion, and his breathing came in short, sharp gasps. "Get the door open. I can't carry him much longer."

Erin dropped Fred's limp hand and hurried forward to the barrels again. She pulled her wand from her pocket and tapped the rhythm of "Helga Hufflepuff" on the rim of the foremost barrel. It and several others magically moved aside, displaying a little, round doorway.

"Quick as you can George." She whispered, holding the little, yellow painted door open.

George picked up his pace and made it through the doorway. He had to keep his head bent so he didn't knock himself out on the low, round ceiling.

"Whose idea was it to build your entrance way like this?" George cursed, his already aching shoulders becoming dangerously painful in the cramped corridor. He stopped and adjusted Fred's lax body, his head hit the ceiling with a dense thump. "Shit, sorry Freddie."

"Careful!" Erin half scolded, locking the entrance door behind them and lightly jogging her way to them, her small stature unaffected by the low beams. "It's supposed to be like a badger sett."

"I suppose that makes sense." George grumbled and took a few more wavering steps.

"Just through that curtain." She pointed at a thick golden coloured velvet drape that concealed the end of the tunnel. "Are you alright? Do you want me to take him the rest of the way?"

George looked at her like she was mental, if he was struggling under Fred's weight, he would easily crush her little frame. "I don't think that would be a good idea. I might just wait here a sec though." He lowered Fred's body into a sitting position, propping his head to the side so no blood could escape onto the floor. He dropped himself down beside his brother and took a few deep breaths that burnt his lungs.

Erin sighed. She had to do something. It was painful watching them struggle and her being powerless to do anything that might be some use. "There's water in our common room, I'll grab you a glass, can't have you passing out too."she offered.

George nodded soundlessly and shut his eyes, leaning back against the wall.

Erin tiptoed the short distance to the curtain and slipped past it's blankety folds. Her eyes struggled to adjust to the darkness of the room as she felt her way through the furniture. Beside the spiral staircase that lead down to their dormitories was a table with an old fashioned golden oil lamp and a large brass jug of water with some clean cups beside it.

She swung the little glass door on the lamp open and whispered a flaming spell. The wick instantly caught alight and bathed the room in a warm glow, large shadows spreading across the walls and floor.

She picked up the jug and attempted to pour some water into a cup but her hands shook violently. She put the jug down a little harder than she meant to, the sound of metal meeting wood echoing around the room.

"Come on." She scolded herself, "keep it together!" She took a deep, calming breath and tried to again, successfully filling the glass. She started to pick her way through the furniture again, the cup clenched in one hand and the lamp swaying from the other. Foot steps, not heavy enough to wake the rest of the sleeping Hufflepuffs, but still enough to alert her she was no longer alone, started to make their way up the stairs from the bedrooms, taking 2 stairs at a time.

Erin hurriedly tried to shake the lantern, hoping the movement would extinguish the little light inside. But she stopped when the footsteps stopped on the top step.

"Erin? What're you doing up this late?"

She let out a loud sigh of relief as she raised the lamp to shine on her twin's face. He squinted in the light and signaled for her to lower it.

She bit her lip and fidgeted slightly.

"You've got 10 minutes till my patrol starts, you're safe." He grinned at her. Knowing that she was dreading recieving a detention for breaking curfew by her own brother. He would never being himself to actually give her one anyway.

She let out a breath and beckoned him closer so she could keep her voice low. "We were working on . . . something . . ."

He cut her off with a grin. "We as in you, Fred and George? I should have known."

She wriggled sheepishly. "Yes, well, something happened. Fred put a little too much of something in the stuff and well . . . It blew up." She had learned early on that telling Nick as little as possible when it came to what they actually got up to in their late night inventing sessions was by far the best option. Ignorance is bliss, right?

"Mm. So you're sneaking back into bed now?"

Erin glanced back at the curtain that covered their entrance tunnel and then back to her twin, who had perched himself on the arm of the nearest sofa.

"Not exactly . . . " She started.

Nick raised his eyebrows and waved her on.

"See the force of the explosion sort of blew Fred up too. He's hurt, Nick. We didn't know what to do."

Nick got to his feet quick as a flash.

"Where is he Erin? Did you take him to madame Pomfrey?"  
Erin gnawed at her bottom lip. An idea formed swiftly in her head.

"Again . . . Not exactly . . . It's too early in term, can you imagine the amount of shit they'd be in if McGonagall found out?"

Nick groaned, he had a feeling he knew what was coming. "Where are they?

"In the hallway . . ."  
"What hallway Erin?"  
"Our hallway . . ." She nodded her head towards the curtain shielding the corridor.  
"Why have you just left them there?"  
"George was struggling to carry Fred, he's slipping out of consciousness, and there's quite a bit of blood and . . ."

Erin couldn't even finish her sentence before her brother darted towards the doorway, faster than his bulk of muscle should have strictly allowed. He disappeared under the material, and Erin strained her ears trying to catch the whispered exchange between Nick and George.

They soon reappeared, Fred's body draped over Nick's large shoulder. He looked as though he weighed nothing. George trailed along behind him, his skin turning sallow with worry and exhaustion.

"Here." Nick lowered Fred into one of the plush yellow arm chairs and glanced between his sister and George. "I'm going to be late if I don't go now. Make sure he gets patched up, and try not to get any blood on the furniture. I'm not sure how we'd explain it to professor Sprout if you do."

He wrapped one arm around Erin's shoulders and pressed a kiss into the crown of her hair. "Be careful kiddo. I'll try and keep them off your trail." He gave her a squeeze and walked towards the door.

"I'm only an hour younger than you!" She retorted, irked by her brother's comment. A groan from Fred pulled her back to the problems at hand. He had started to come around again, looking about him blearily. He flexed his fingers experimentally.

"You're gonna be OK Freddie. You'll be patched up and being a pain in my ass again in no time." George grinned weakly, leaning against the side of the chair his brother was currently occupying.

"Here," Erin handed George the cup of water and drained it in seconds, a little colour coming back to his cheeks. "I'll go and find Mac. Make sure you keep talking to him, keep him awake."

"Who's Mac?" George asked with a raised eyebrow but Erin just waved him off tiptoeing down the staircase and into the darkness.

XXXX

"My head feels like it's caving in." Fred groaned, squeezing his eyes shut. When he opened them again he realised it was just him and George, which was usual, in a enormous round room, decorated with warm yellow furniture and lusciously growing plants of all varieties, which was not.  
"Hey, Georgie . . . Where are we?" He whispered, turning his head to face his brother, until the pain made him wince.

"The Hufflepuff common room. Watch what you're doing, blood stains yellow really badly."

Fred nodded and looked around again, taking in the finer details of the room, an enormous poster of a beautiful but homely looking, round woman was hanging above an empty fire place. Wizarding photographs of students of varying years littered the walls. He chuckled to himself when he spotted one of the current quidditch team. Erin stood at the front laughing at whoever was behind the camera. Her yellow and black robes were pristine and her hair was neatly pulled into a low ponytail that hung over one shoulder. The photo was taken before a game then.

Where was she? She'd been with them when the potion exploded, and he thought he remembered her holding his hand when he struggled to stay out of the darkness that buzzed around his head. They were in her common room, but she was nowhere to be seen. After a second of contemplation he chose to voice his thought to George who was also studying the room carefully.

"Where's Erin?"  
"She's gone to get someone called Mac."  
"Who's Mac?"  
"No idea, but she seems to think they're just the person to fix you up."

He pursed his lips. Sometimes he forgot that they were in different houses and she obviously knew people they didn't.

Two sets of footsteps approached the top of a sunken staircase and both Weasley's looked towards them. Fred's stomach felt like the bottom of it has fallen away when he caught sight of the two figures. He knew he'd seen Erin's friend Mac before.

XXXX

Erin tentatively pushed the door to the 7 th year boys' dormitory open. All five beds had their curtains drawn, the sounds of heavy breathing and snores penetrating the air.

"Shit." Erin cursed to herself, which bed was Mac's? She'd spoken to him and had pleasant conversations, but this was way more personal of a situation than she has expected to find herself in. She looked around examining the effects of each beside table and signed with relief when she spotted one that had a photograph of Mac with a little blonde girl she knew was his baby sister Masie. She was giggling into the camera while he carried her around on his back.  
A little, unfamiliar, warmth bubbled in her tummy at the sight. There was just something so adorable and attractive about it.

She gently pulled the voiles around his bed apart wide enough that she could kneel down beside his head. He continued to slumber on oblivious to her intrusion.  
"Mac!" She whispered, trying to keep her voice low enough to not wake the other boys.

He awoke with a start, large green eyes starting at her, still half clouded with sleep.  
"Erin? What are you doing here? What's wrong?" He rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands and sat himself up.

Erin's cheeks became warm as his blankets feel away to his waist, exposing beautifully lined alabaster skin with a smattering of blond hair decorating his pectorals and belly button. Her mouth went dry and her tongue felt like it has swollen to twice the size, restricting her words.

"What's going on?" He prompted her again, blonde eyebrows knitting together as he studied her with concern.

She opened her mouth, petrified that no words would come out, just a strangled gurgle. 'i need to think about Fred. Remember Fred . . . He's bleeding upstairs and you're here gawping . . .' she thought, angry with herself for succumbing to the distraction.

"My friend Fred, he's . . . He's had a bit of an accident."

"Why didn't you go to the hospital wing?"

"I thought of you first." It was only a white lie, she reasoned. "He really needs your help, Mac, please."

"Alright darling, calm down. I'll do what I can, I don't have much here, but I'll bring what I have." He soothed, sliding a deep green robe around his shoulders and swiping a small medicine bag from beneath his bed. "What am I dealing with?"

"He keeps going unconscious, and he hit his head, there's quite a nasty cut and there's a lot of blood."

Mac nodded and ushered her out of the dormitory, closing the door softly behind them.

"Where is he?"

"Our common room. His brother managed to carry him here."

"So this accident . . ." He grinned and glanced at her out of the corner of his eye as they made their way up the spiral stairs. "I'm guessing it wasn't anything the teachers would approve of?"

The corner of Erin's lips quirked up into a smile.  
"Not exactly."

He nodded and chuckled to himself.  
"It'll be our little secret then." His words were accompanied by a gentle brush of his hand against the skin of her forearm. Erin couldn't tell if the gesture was an accident, or something else entirely as he winked at her charmingly.

She gasped as they reached the top of the stairs, Fred was awake, and looking at her with a mix of relief and tension on his face.

XXXX

"Freddie! You're awake!" She said, hastily closing the gap between the stairs and his chair. She knelt by his side and grabbed one of his hands out of his lap, lacing his fingers together.

"I just needed a little nap that's all, jelly bean, no need to worry yourself." He gave get one of his trademark crooked grins. She scoffed at the words, but squeezed his hands affectionately none the less.

Mac put his bag down on the floor and cleared his throat.

"Freddie, Georgie, this is Mac. Mac, these troublemakers are Fred and George Weasley."

"I know." Mac laughed, dripping some cleaning alcohol onto a cloth. "One doesn't start working in the hospital wing without becoming familiar with the name Weasley."

"Doesn't one?" Fred sneered under his breath, eyeing the blond carefully. He recalled how many times he had caught the trainee healer staring at Erin in the corridors or in the great hall. Fred had never been a fan of his heated gaze towards their best friend.

Erin nudged him with her elbow, probably a little sharper than she had originally intended. "Be nice. He doesn't have to fix you up, you know."

He gave her a wounded look and pressed his free hand to his heart. Mac, to his credit, was ignoring the jibe and was explaining to George what he was going to do and what aftercare they would need to make sure Fred's wounds healed properly without any lasting scars or effects.

"If you could turn your head for me, Fred, so I can see the cut." He directed, bundling the alcohol soaked cloth in one hand. George held the lantern above his twin's head allowing as much light on the situation as possible.  
"Now this is going to hurt." He warned, wadding the material against Fred's face and cleaning away both fresh and dried blood.

Fred hissed and winced, his fingers tightening painfully around Erin's. He let go when she took a sharp intake of breath and her fingers popped.

"I'm sorry." He whispered, feeling terrible for causing her any pain.

"Don't worry about it Freddie. I've got another one." She waggled the fingers of her free hand at him.

"Erin darling" Mac spoke loudly, dragging her attention to him. "In my bag, there's some spello-stitches, could you grab me them please?"

She nodded and moved away from Fred, who's eyes followed her as she crossed the room. She glanced at George as she made her way back to the trio. His eyes were beginning to droop and the worried look was almost gone from his eyes. He gave her a small smile as a subtle thank you.

She handed the stitch strips to Mac, who looked her deep in the eyes and murmured. "Thank you, you're an angel."  
She just smiled meekly and resumed her spot on the floor beside Fred, who was uncharacteristically quiet.

She just put it down to him being exhausted.

Mac laid the strips across the cut and whispered an incantation, lightly touching the tip of his silver birch wand to the injury. The stitches instantly melted into Fred's skin, sealing the wound closed. He wiped his hands on a clean rag and put his wand away, eyeing his handiwork.

"You need to take one teaspoon of this twice a day for a week, to keep infection at bay. If anything gets worse, you'll have to see madame Pomfrey, I'm afraid."

"Thanks . . . for doing this . . . You've saved us at least a week's worth of detentions." George said awkwardly, taking the small blue vial from Mac's hands.

"Anything for friends of dear Erin."

Fred was still oddly quiet, his hazel eyes trying to burn a hole through Mac, unsuccessfully.

"Come on, we better get back to gryffindor tower.", George encouraged his twin, holding out a hand to help him up. Fred got to his feet, swaying a little, but managing to stay upright.

"Thanks." He said to Mac, voice somewhere between cold and indifferent.

Erin frowned at his odd behaviour.

They boys made their way towards the curtain, saying their goodnights and promising they'd see Erin at breakfast in the morning.

When they had disappeared into the corridor, Mac turned to her with a dazzling smile.

"Thanks Mac, really. Thank you."  
"Anything for you my darling." He picked up his bag and held an elbow out to her "may I walk you back to your dorm, lovely lady?"

Erin hoped he couldn't see her blush as she accepted his arm.

XXXX

As the barrels that concealed the yellow common room moved back into their places behind the twins, Fred eyed George who raised his eyebrows wordlessly.

"Don't give me that look. He patched me up, but I still think he's still an asshole."

George huffed and made his way into the castle with a knowing smirk on his lips.


	6. The Days Fly By

**Hello lovely readers! Sorry this chapter has been long awaited! I hope it's ok, this one is a bit of a filler, but we're getting to the real action of Prisoner of Azkaban as of the next chapter! So please, stay tuned! A big shout out to the wonderful ClearasDarkness, TheRealTayler13 and DGMSilverAirHead03 for reviewing the last chapter! Your feedback means much to me! :)**

XXXX

"You're doing great Neville. Professor Sprout will be really impressed." Erin gave the third year gryffindor a big hug and proud grin, making him blush a vivid pink. The advanced herbology book between them was full of notes that even some of the fifth years hadn't worked up to yet.

"Are we still OK for Thursday nights this year?" He peered at her. She raised an eyebrow, taking a bite of her toast with blueberry jam.

"Are you sure you're going to need me? You're going to overtake my skill before you know it."

Erin's Thursday night tutor sessions were a well known tradition, if anyone needed either of them between 8 and 10 on a Thursday night, they could be found in greenhouse one, up to their elbows in soil or with their noses stuck in a book.

"I'll always need your help." Neville always came to Erin with problems for any subject even though her speciality was herbology, the one subject that Neville excelled in.

"You, Mr Longbottom" she waved the corner of her toast at him in a faux reprimand "don't give yourself enough credit. You're far greater than you give yourself credit for."  
Neville blushed again, trying to shrink into his robes.

"Careful there little Puff, you'll made Neville's head swell so much he won't fit through the portrait hole." Fred grinned good naturedly at the younger boy as he plonked himself down on the bench beside her. George automatically sat opposite them, his eyes still half clouded with sleep.

"Well good morning you two." She pressed her fingers to Fred's chin turning his head to examine the seal in his flesh. It looked almost completely healed.  
"It looks good. Mac did a good job." Fred grunted and tapped the table twice, a plate appearing under his finger tips.  
"Has he used that stuff Mac have him like he was supposed to?" She asked George, knowing what came out of Fred's mouth on the matter might not be the whole truth.  
The twin nodded, and started to fill his own plate. Erin's nose scrunched up as she watched the two of them pile scrambled eggs, toast, hash browns, sausages, bacon and fried tomatoes onto their dishes. She has no idea where they put it all. Her own meagre breakfast of orange juice and toast has been reduced to drips and crumbs.

She waved at Harry, Ron and Hermione who sat at the other end of the table, talking between themselves. After the three gryffindors came a little huddle of Ravenclaws and she instantly recognised the neatly combed curls of Mikey.

"Hey there little bro!" She called to him as they made their way down the middle of the hall. He grinned sheepishly at his friends and excused himself for a moment. He nipped around Erin's table and gave her a hug.

"So, how have your first few days of term been? I thought you weren't going to ever come check in with me." She straightened his collar and tie.

"Merlin's beard, Erin, you're not his mum, stop fussing and let him be." George laughed.

"I bet she's totally embarrassing to have as a big sister right?" Fred asked in a stage whisper, he smiled sweetly at her when can she slapped his arm, feigning innocence.

"So how have you been? Are you settled? Enjoying your classes? Is there anything you need?" She badgered, she worried about Mikey, she couldn't keep a watchful eye on him because the hat had sorted him into another house.

"They've been good. Everything is good. I'm going to write to mum and dad on Saturday, if you wanted to tag a letter on."

"Actually hun, that's a great plan, I'll write one tonight and you can send it with yours. So, come on, tell me everything. What are you learning so far this year? Had any interesting events in your common room."

"We've only been back two days." Mikey fidgeted and looked over at his friends who were laughing together on the table closest to the wall. "You alright if I go? I need breakfast and stuff?" He'd already stepped away from the table and was waving at someone.

Erin felt her heart sink a little. She knew her baby brother wouldn't want to just hang out with her forever, but she thought she'd at least have another year. He'd gotten half way across the hall when she numbly replied. "Yeah, sure, we'll catch up later . . . I suppose."

Fred saw the forlorn look on her face and wrapped his arm around her giving her a tight squeeze.  
"Don't worry, he'll always come back to his big sister when he needs her. Trust me." He whispered in her ear, placing a quick kiss on her temple. His sweet, fred-ish scent engulfed her with those proximity and she inhaled a lungful of it.  
"Thanks Freddie." She really was grateful for the sentiment.  
Breakfast had gone smoothly and their plates were empty in no time. Neville had left the three fifth years earlier, moving to sit with harry, Ron and Hermione. Lee has also joined Fred, George and Erin, he was explaining his clean up operation to the twins happily, proud that he'd managed to not get caught at all.

They were about to get up and head to classes when Cedric called to Erin, jogging up to her with a sheet of parchment in his hand. He passed it to her and she quickly skimmed over the words and numbers of the quidditch practice timetable.

She winched. He has scheduled them in for their first practice at 5 30 the next morning. She loved quidditch, but at a decent time.

"The early bird and all that." Cedric chuckled, seeing the horror on her face.

"This early bird might have trouble holding onto be her broom at that time." George laughed peering over her shoulder.  
"There's times when can she barely stays on it as it is." Fred chimed in, earning a kick to the shin.

"It's fine Ced. I'll be there." She said to the team captain who nodded and ran off to join his friends, several girls heads turning in his wake.

"We better go too. You know how much Snape loves people being late." Lee prompted.

"Hmm snail pace it is then." The twins said in unison, mischief glittering in their hazel eyes.

XXXX

The days started to tick past faster than Erin could keep track of them. Lessons, homework and quidditch practice swished around her like a whirlwind.

The twins had kept to their day to day experiments, only putting small tweaks on the products they already had, do there had been no more night time excursions.

One blustering morning Erin found herself trekking back up the hill towards the school after an early morning quidditch session. The rain plastered her pony tail to the back of her neck and soaked through her training uniform. She felt cold, uncomfortable and was just dying for a nice hot cup of tea. For what felt like the hundredth time since term began she found herself cursing Cedric and his being a total morning person under her breath. He was happily still zooming around the pitch in the distance, the rest of the team, like Erin, retreating for the warmth of the castle. She has stayed behind at the stadium a little longer than intended, waving goodbye to the other players as they filtered out. Nick had stopped to give her a bear hug before leaving with Cadwaller. So her walk up to the school felt unusually lonely and cold.

As she made her way past Hagrid's hut, she spotted him huddled up on his front step. He was wearing his moleskin overcoat, but had clearly been out in the rain for at least an hour, the material dark with water and little droplets collecting in his bushy hair and beard.

Erin felt shocked as she took in his appearance, she had never seen Hagrid look so low before.

"Hagrid?" She called, beelining for the small wooden house. "Hagrid?" She tried again, bet he seemed not to hear her. His whole body was shaking, teeth chattering and eyes bloodshot.

She dropped her bag onto the path and perched herself beside the enormous man. He blinked at her blearily, as if seeing her for the first time.  
"Erin? What you doin out here? You'll catch yer death in the cold!" He tried to sound strict, but his voice was weak.

"You're one to talk. How long have you been sat out here in the wind and rain?"

He gave a small shrug, and stared off into the distance again.

"What are you doing out here?" He ignored her this time, and she wrapped her arm around his sodden elbow, leaning into his bulk. "Come on, let's get inside and we can have some tea, yeah? I swear could fight fifty werewolves for one. And maybe even a banshee if there was biscuits involved." She waggled her eyebrows at him with a grin.

"Don't know if I've got any biscuits. Cake though, I know I've got some cake."

Erin grinned as she stood up still keeping herself close to him. "Cake would do just as well Hagrid."

XXXX

"He was a mess, I've never seen him like that." Erin explained to Fred and George as they sat on their favourite alcove on the 6 th floor corridor. They were hidden by a large stone statue of a housebound knight with his arm outstretched.

"He has been acting oddly lately." George agreed pensively.  
"If we have one more lesson on flobberworms, I'm going to transfigure him into one." Fred growled, leaning over to pinch a strawberry bootlace from Erin's bag of sweets.

"He doesn't know what to do anymore Fred, you've gotta give him a break."

"Yeah, it should be Malfoy you turn into a flobberworm."  
"Therein lies the problem, my dear brother, Malfoy already is a flobberworm, a slimy, blond flobberworm."

Silence followed the trio's laughter, as they all tucked into their sweets, content in eachother's company.

"Do you think his father will get the ministry involved?"

"He'd have a hard job, I think he's been dead for well over 20 years . . ."

Erin rolled her eyes and slapped Fred gently on the shoulder. "Malfoy's father you nitwit, not Hagrid's"

"Ahh now that makes more sense."

"Of course he will. He'd do anything to make Hagrid's life hell." George said with a frown. "That man is the epitome of evil."

Erin stretched her arms above her head and yawned, fighting the urge to close her eyes and catch a little sleep. Her day had been a long one, and her body wasn't taking the effect well, it was only just past dinner.

"How are your practices going?" George asked, unwrapping the last treacle toffee and throwing the foil back into the pile.

"Too early." She yawned again in emphasis. "But we're doing well, I hope anyway. Cedric has put so much work into it already this year."

"You should see Wood. It's like he's a mad man the minute he steps foot on the pitch." Fred nudged the sweets, searching for something appetising. "I'd say he needs to get a girl or a hobby, but quidditch is supposedly his hobby, and if his changing room chatter is anything to go by, even several rounds of shagging still doesn't make him any less manic."

Erin stole the chocolate frog from Fred's hand and nibbled at it's leg. He gave her a look of mock anger, but gave in and found something else.

"I thought shit like that only happened in cheesy muggle rom com movies."

Fred and George shared a look and a smirk.

"We've gotta talk about it somewhere."  
"Yeah, we can't just talk about class, pranks and quidditch all the time." Both twins waggled their eyebrows in a comedic fashion.  
"Wood is the king of detail though, do you remember his story about that Ravenclaw sixth year, Georgie? What was her name? Demi? Darcy?"  
"Surely you mean Double D Daisy? The one with the really long legs?"  
"Ahh yeah, that was it."

"Do you realise how degrading that is? She's not just tits and legs, I'm sure she has a brain and a lovely personality."

Fred and George shrugged.  
"She probably did. But i don't think Wood was interested in her personality in the 4 th floor prefects bathroom."  
"Mm, I'm sure he didn't."

She yawned for the third time tugged her sleeves down over her hands in a languid stretch.

"You look like you need an early night, love." George said seriously. Erin nodded and got to her feet, gathering her bag.

"I think you're right, I'll see you guys in the morning. Don't get into too much trouble without me. You know I hate to be the boring one."

Fred got to his feet too, following after her.  
"You'll never be boring. You're part of or soul."

She laughed at the corny sentence and turned away to head down the corridor to the stairs.  
"Wait!" She stopped and looked back at Fred who was shuffling his feet and looking at her intently with his clear hazel eyes. He paused for a second, searching for what he meant to say.

"Yes Freddie?"

He took a deep breath and flashed a charming grin at her.

"Would the lady like an escort to her common room?"  
"My, Frederick Weasley, where did you learn to be such a gentleman?"

Butterflies bubbled in her belly as she heard herself openly flirt with her best friend, it felt odd and somehow right all at the same time. The corner of his lips quirked up and he took a step closer, so their arms were brushing.

"My mother taught me well, i'd been waiting for the opportune moment to show that side of me to the world." His voice had dropped a tone or two, the harsh consonants leaving his lips huskily. He sounds made Erin's toes curl inside her school boots.

"And this? This is that moment?" She asked, inwardly scolding herself for sounding breathless. What the hell was going on inside her body? She knew Fred like the back of her hand, and he'd made her feel good before, but this was an entirely different feeling.

"It's as good as any." He crooked his elbow out to her and winked. "Let's get you back, so you can get some sleep."

Erin took his elbow, her fingers curling around the warm, muscled flesh beneath the scratchy woollen jumper.

Is this how things are going to be now? She thought to herself. Am I going to be giggling like a little girl at every comment? And blushing at every glance?

The gryffindor and Hufflepuff made their way through the castle corridors in a comfortable, contented silence.

XXXX

Erin left Fred outside the common room and made her way towards the spiral staircase, waving at a few people as she passed through. She could hear her bed calling to her.

"Erin!" Mollie called running to her, the bubbly blonde wrapped her arms around Erin's shoulders when she caught up to her. "So . . . I hear a certain Weasley walked you back to the common room . . . Arm in arm . . ."

"So?" Erin shrugged, raising an eyebrow. "They're always around?"

"Just Fred though . . ." Mollie waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"Cut to the chase, Mol, I will be old and grey by the time you get to the point." Erin said as they flopped onto their respective beds.

"Are you going to Hogsmede with him tomorrow? Did he ask you?"

"Well yeah, we always go together"

"No, not the three of you! Are you going without George being your chaperone?"

"We're just friends Mollie."

"You say that every time."

"Mm. Because it's true."

"It won't be forever. One day you and Fred will realise how much you love eachother and you'll have one of those sickly sweet weddings, where everyone dances till the sun comes up and drinks copious amounts of champagne. And oh! The children Erin! Think of the adorable children!"

Erin laughed and resigned herself to throwing a pillow at her friend in response. She wasn't going to admit to her room mate that her 'fairy tale' future sounded just about perfect.

XXXX

Erin jumped down the steps of Hogwart's main entrance doors and searched through the excited crowd of students dressed in their regular clothes rather than the formal black robes of their uniform. No slashes of colour separated house from house, while they were in Hogsmede, they were just themselves.

"Over here puffsicle!" Fred called from the far wall that he, George and Lee were leaning against.

She grinned and made her way over to them, but she stopped short, bumping into harry, who has a forlorn look on his face.

"What's up harry? You look miserable." She asked him kindly, throwing her arm around him in what she hoped was a comforting hug.

"I can't go. Uncle Vernon wouldn't sign my letter. So I have to stay here."

"Ahh that's pretty sucky." Lee, Fred and George had started to pick their way towards the duo. "Is there anything I can get you while I'm there honey?"

He gave her a weak smile and shook his head. "Thanks Erin, but Ron and Hermione have my list."

"Alright hun, chin up. We'll all be back before you know it, try to have a good day."

She gave harry a final wave as she crossed the courtyard closing the gap between her and the red haired twins and Lee.

"Boys!" She greeted, linking her arms with Fred and George, the three of them connected like the pieces of a chain.

"So, where's first?" She asked her friends as they rounded the corner to the wizarding village.

"Honeydukes!"  
"The three Broomsticks!"  
"Zonko's"


	7. Of Flights and Fantasies

**Hi lovely readers! I had a day off, so imanaged to get this chapter ready for you as quick as I could! It is a little on the fluffy side. If it's too fluffy, let me know and I'll edit it. Another shout out and thank you to ClearasDarkness for the review! I promise I don't bite, so please let me know what you think.**

XXXX

The three Broomsticks was so packed there wasn't a free chair in the whole pub. Erin, Fred, George and Lee were squashed around a tiny, round table beside there fire with full mugs of butterbeer in front of them and laughter buzzing around them.

"And he's stood at the bottom of the stairs to the girls dormitory . . ."  
"Just repeating her name and whining like a toddler!"

Erin shook her head and giggled into her mug. Poor Percy always ended up as a object of humour to his younger brothers.

"And Penelope just leaned over the railing and dumped a basket of washing on his head."

"It was hilarious."

Percy who was on the other side of the pub narrowed his eyes at them suspiciously, hearing the quartet's laughter.  
"Uhoh!" Erin whispered nodding at the head boy's watchful glare. "I think we've been rumbled!"

Both twins twisted in their chairs, laughing at their sibling.  
"What's up Perce?"  
"Your ears burning?"

Percy scowled and turned back to the serious conversation he appeared to be having with his girlfriend and a couple of prefects.

"Someone's got his pants in a knot." Lee said raising his arms above his head and cracking his elbows.

On the far side of the public house, the front door opened, a gush of fresh air accompanying a familiar blonde head as Mac stepped over the threshold, unzipping his leather jacket. He glanced around and caught Erin's eye.

She swallowed, watching his progress. He removed his jacket and handed it to one of his friends, waving a hand in Erin's direction. He broke away from his group and made his way over to their table.

Fred's posture stiffened as the 7th year Hufflepuff neared them. George glanced nervously between his twin and the elder boy.

"Weasleys, Jordan" Mac nodded politely at the three of them and smiled a bright, charming smile at the table's last occupant, "how're you doing Erin? I spoke to Nick earlier, he said you were feeling a bit under the weather."

She smiled kindly, ignoring the barely audible, annoyed huff that left Fred's lungs as shifted awkwardly in his seat. He had turned his body so his frame had essentially become a barrier between the two Hufflepuffs.

"I'm just tired, that's all. Cedric has us up to be on the pitch at 5 30. I think it's just catching up with me a little."

He nodded. "Let me know if there's anything I can do for you, I'm sure I have something in my bag that might help you."

"Thank you Mac, that's really very sweet of you, I'll try and remember that." He nodded and stuffed his hands in his pockets and turned to walk away. "I'll see you back in the common room at some point." He paused for half a beat. "That face is shaping up well, Weasley. Keep taking that potion. I have more if you need it."

"Cheers, Reyer." Fred's voice was tense, and his hands flexed, pulling at a loose thread on his old, woollen jumper.

Erin glanced at her best friend out the corner of her eye and placed her hand on his forearm. He looked back at her with a tight, mask like smile.

"Are you alright Freddie."  
"Peachy, thanks badger."

She sighed, knowing he was withholding.

"Shall we head to zonko's before going back to the castle?" George asked loudly, clearly trying to return his companions to their joviality.

XXXX

"I dare you to sprinkle that in Malfoy's quidditch uniform."

Fred grinned wickedly and tucked the new batch of beetle back itching powder into his basket. "You're on, little badger."

"How?"

"A genius never reveals his secrets."

Erin quirked an eyebrow. "I think that's magicians, Freddie."

"Hmm?" He bent, be looking at a stack of jars containing mini monkeys.

"Magicians never reveal their secrets."

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Perhaps I'm a bit of both." He straightened up and leaned against the shelf, watching her intently. She fiddled in her bag, looking for her purse, and didn't notice his heated gaze. "But what's in it for me puffsickle?"

Erin didn't look up at him. She was sure her purse was somewhere in there, it had to be. She'd only had it in the three Broomsticks. "Sorry?"

"I said, what's in it for me?" He'd inched closer. Close enough to feel his warm breath stirring her hair, his arm brushing her shoulder. "What do I get for making Malfoy the laughing stock of the quidditch teams?"

Butterflies started to roll away in her belly. Her cheeks burned with what she was sure was a deep red blush. She focused on his Adams apple and the hollow of his throat.  
"What do you want? Ten chocolate frogs?"

"I think this requires far more of a reward than chocolate."

Erin held her breath.

"I mean, it's a big ask, breaking into Malfoy's things, sneaking around behind the backs of the Slytherin team."

"So, what do you want?" She fought to keep her voice steady.

He leaned closer, so he could murmur in her ear.  
"I think it calls for something big, something unique. A kiss for example. Just the one."

Erin swallowed heavily and screamed internally. She raised her head, so they were nose to nose and she was looking into his hazel eyes.  
"Just the one."

He raised an eyebrow. "So we have a deal?"

She rubbed the tip of her nose against his in a burst of unexpected bravery. "We have a deal, Mr Weasley."

He grinned so wide, she thought his cheeks might split.  
"Let's get going, before George buys the whole of the shop." He pulled away, looking smug, and headed towards the counter to pay for his basket of goodies.

Erin sagged against the shelf, replaying the last thirty seconds over and over in her head. She grinned goofily. _'how the hell am I going to explain this to Mollie?'_

XXXX

"That's great! Proud of you brother!" George congratulated, slapping his twin aimiably on the back. Fred had wasted no time in divulging the details of his and Erin's deal as soon as she had left them by the main doors.

The twins followed the trail of gryffindors up the moving steps, heading for their tower common room, shipping bags clenched in their hands.

"So, how're you gonna make sure you win this kiss?"

"What kiss?" Ron who had joined the stairs, along with harry and Hermione, butted in noisily.

"None of your business Ronniekins." Fred grinned, turning his back on his younger brother.

"Ah come on Fred!"

The twins ignored him and he returned to his conversation with harry, blathering loudly about the treats Hogsmede had to offer.

"So what are you going to do?" George asked again, leaning against the railing.

Fred opened his mouth to reply, but promptly shut it again when the stairs came to a harsh stop, juddering it's passengers forward. People were crowding around the portrait hole.

Fred blinked in surprise when he managed to get a glimpse of the painting through the crowd.

Slashes marred the canvas and pieces were hanging from it's frame. The green landscape was empty.

The fat lady was gone.

XXXX

"Mikey?" Erin called as she searched through the blue and silver mass of Ravenclaws. "Michael Warren Fallon! Where are you?"

"I'm over here. Stop fussing." Mikey grumbled. He was sat on the floor beside three of his friends, already half buried in a squishy purple sleeping bag.

She shook her head and knelt beside him, pulling him into a tight bear hug. She kissed the top of his head and he made an embarrassed noise into her shoulder.  
"Are you alright? Were you safe in your tower?" She gushed, her face still buried in his neat curls.

"I'm fine. I was in the library." His answer was muffled, his face pressed into her shoulder.

"I promised you that everything would be OK! That Nick and I would keep you safe! And we weren't even here! Mikey, I'm sorry!" Erin found tears starting to brim at the corner of her eyes.

"I was OK. You weren't to know! He didn't even come near the library!"

She sniffed.

"Are you embarrassing Mikey in front of his friends again?" Nick asked as he joined his siblings on the floor. He clapped a large hand on Mikey's shoulder.

"We weren't here Nick!"  
"No, but he's OK, look at him. He doesnt need us fussing him."

Erin wiped her teary eyes on her sleeve and gave her brothers a weak smile.

"I just worry."

"I know you do." Mikey squeezed her hand. "But really, I'm ok."

"Everyone get into your sleeping bags!" Dumbledore called from the front of the hall.

"Go on. We'll all have breakfast together in the morning ok?"

"Do you promise?" She asked her brother seriously.  
Mikey smiled and held out his his pinky finger for Erin and Nick to link with. "I promise."

Erin and Nick retreated, leaving Mikey to chat and laugh with his friends, snuggling down into their sleeping bags.

"He's 12, Erin, he's got a lot of pride."  
"I know, but I worry about him. I don't care if he's annoyed with me, I needed to know he was OK."  
"I understand that, but we're not going to be here forever, we need to let him grow into a man who can look after himself."  
"I suppose you're right."  
"Of course I am." Nick laughed, wrapping an arm around his twin and kissing her forehead. He nodded to a spot across the room where the Weasley twins and Lee had saved her a sleeping bag and were waving at her like crazy.  
"Looks like you're wanted. I'll see you at breakfast. Love you." He gave her one last squeeze and headed towards his own group of friends.

 _Erin lay on her back, watching the twinkling stars of the night sky. The yellow dots winked and shimmered in the expanse of deep blue._

 _"What are you thinking about?"_

 _Fred's soft voice was right beside her ear and she turned her face to look at him. One arm was tucked behind his head, but his hazel eyes were open, watching her as she watched the blanket of stars. The outside air was chilled and she felt goosebumps rise on her skin._

 _"Are you cold, little Puff?" The fingers of Fred's free hand trailed an intricate design into the exposed flesh of her inner elbow. She shuddered, with desire more than cold. He shuffled closer to her and pulled her into a tight hug, a hand resting on the bottom of her back. Their faces were so close that their breath mingled on their cheeks._

 _"What are we doing here?" She whispered, not wanting to break the peace that enveloped the pair of them.  
"We were watching the stars, it's the last day of summer, it's the last time they'll be this beautiful for months."  
Erin gnawed on her bottom lip, her eye searching his._

 _"I had no idea you were so romantic, Weasley."  
"I'm full of surprises." He gently rubbed the tip of his nose against hers.  
"So you are."  
Fred grinned and his eyes flickered down to her lips for a split second. _

_'Please,' she mentally begged as he adjusted his weight do he was pressing her back into the lush grass, 'please just do it! Kiss me!'_

 _He smirked, a lively twinkle in his eyes and lowered his head, gently brushing his lips against hers. The touch was light and fleeting and Erin found herself longing for something more than the teasing contact._

 _"Please!" She breathed. "Please Fred."_

 _"You want more?" He asked her, a wide happy grin on his face._

 _"Yes, please Freddie!" She cooed, finding the collar of his shirt with her fingers and tugging him so close to her that there was barely any air between them. He took the motion as permission and pressed his lips to hers again, with more pressure than before. He opened his mouth slightly and laved his tongue delicately across her bottom lip.  
His hand traveled up her back, cupping the back of her head and knitting his fingers into her hair. _

"We've searched everywhere but there's no sign of him."

 _Erin scrunched up her eyes and pulled away from Fred, who shot her a disgruntled look._

 _Why was Snape invading their moment, their brief second of intimacy._

"He may still be on the grounds."

 _Professor Dumbledore? Do teachers just not understand what privacy means?_

"We'll have the dementors search for him."

 _She glanced towards Fred, hoping to see her anger mirrored on her face, but he wasn't there. All that lay beside her was a patch of slightly flattened grass._

 _x_

Erin opened her eyes and sat up in a sudden jolt, her body aching from the hard stone floor of the great hall. She blinked as she looked around her, the hall was full of students, stuffed into purple sleeping bags. Snape and Dumbledore stood a little way away, taking between themselves.

She sighed as she looked over at the twins. They were both asleep, sprawled on their backs. A warmth enveloped her heart and tugged at her stomach; a ghost of a smile was set on Fred's sleeping face.


End file.
